By
John Harvey
 |
| Devonte Dedmon (11) talks about playing receiver at W&M. |
WILLIAMSBURG
– Devonte Dedmon and Jahlil Green-Lassiter
spent every summer at William and Mary coach Jimmye Laycock’s annual summer
football camp.
On
Monday, the former Warhill and Lafayette standouts were back at the Montgomery Practice
Complex, this time as members of the Tribe.
“I
remember coming to Colonial All-Pro football camps here, seeing coach Laycock,
seeing all the other coaches, and thinking one day I wish I could be a part of
this program,” Dedmon said. “The tradition is here and everybody’s family. I
love everybody here already.”
“It’s
the ultimate goal,” Green-Lassiter said. “To be on full scholarship and have my
education paid for and do what I enjoy, it’s definitely a blessing. I’m going
to take full advantage of it.”
Green-Lassiter earned a scholarship to W&M after a
standout senior season at Lafayette. The 5-foot-10 running back rushed for
2,055 yards and 34 touchdowns to lead the Rams to the Class 3A regional
championship game.
 |
| Jahlil Green-Lassiter looks for playing time at running back. |
Dedmon’s
career was just as remarkable at Warhill. The 5-foot-10 standout was a three-year
starter with the Lions. He played quarterback, running back, receiver, kick
returner and defensive back and finished his career as the Bay Rivers District
all-time scoring leader from the line of scrimmage.
Known
for their big-play capability, Dedmon and Green-Lassiter know that it won’t be
easy.
Green-Lassiter
is battling for playing time at running back, a position that the Tribe is
filled with experience. Mikal Abdul-Saboor rushed for 824 yards and six
touchdowns last season. Jarrell Cooper (425 yards, 2 TDs), Kendell Anderson
(273 yards, 4 TDs) and Keith McBride II (166 yards, TD) are also experienced
options in the backfield.
“I’m
looking at playing running back right now and I believe I can make an impact,”
Green-Lassiter said. “(The defenses are) going to be a lot faster. They’ve
hinted at me playing some Z (wide receiver) and running some jet sweeps. I’m
just going to believe in my ability.”
Dedmon
expects to challenge for playing time as a receiver and possibly in the return
game.
“In
high school, they had me everywhere,” Dedmon said. “I’m actually excited about
learning how to play receiver. I see it as a plus, because now I can focus on
one thing which will help me a lot.”
The
5-foot-10 freshman spent the summer working with all-conference receiver Tre
McBride and two-year starter Sean Ballard studying the nuances of Laycock’s pro-style
offense.
“They
told me to forget everything that I learned in high school,” Dedmon said. “In
high school, if you’re faster, you just out run them. In college, it’s all
about fundamentals and running my routes perfect.”
Green-Lassiter
said the biggest thing for him is going to be dealing with time management. “My
time is going to be eaten up a lot more between meetings and practice,” he
said. “I need to make it to those on time. I definitely have no excuses here.”
W&M
will open its 2014 schedule on Saturday, Aug. 31 at Virginia Tech. Dedmon and
Green-Lassiter understands the importance of the next three weeks.
“I’m
just going to be a sponge,” Dedmon said. “I’m going to absorb everything I can.
I’m going to pick players brains and try to learn as much as I can. If I can’t
get on the field, I’m going to make sure that I’m prepared for when I’m called
upon.”
Green-Lassiter
said he’s received some good advice already. “Most of them tell me to keep my
head on straight,” he said. “Don’t let any of the negativity get to you. (The
coaches) expect you to mess up. They don’t expect me to know everything right
away. They want me to do everything 100 miles-per-hour and just keep going and
eventually you will get there.”
Contact
me at HarveySports757@yahoo.com
or @HarveySports757 on Twitter.
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